New research from the University of Luxembourg has found that certain gamers who play violent video games don’t feel the need to cleanse as much as others.
In the experiment, novice gamers and players of violent games were put to the test by choosing gift products. Inexperienced gamers tended to choose a lot of hygiene products, such as shower gel, tooth paste, and deodorant.
On the other hand, experienced gamers (who have had played violent video games in the past) didn’t go for the hygiene products as much as others, rather choosing other gifts.
The results are said to be a reasoning of inexperienced players feeling a higher moral distress from the games, and therefore feeling the need to “cleanse”, while hardcore gamers are more desensitised from violence.
“The need to cleanse to keep moral purity intact, the Macbeth effect, is a psychological phenomenon in which a person attempts to purify oneself in order to cope with feelings of moral distress,” describes Dr. André Melzer.
“We find that the Macbeth effect can result from playing violent video games, especially when the game involves violence against humans.” Melzer also stresses that experienced gamers seem to use different strategies to cope with violence in games.
Do you agree with the notion of this research? Do you feel any moral weight after playing a violent video game?
Source: ScienceDaily
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Ok, so wait… this study proves that experienced gamers are used to playing violent video games and like presents? hmmm… interesting….